OKC Thunder's stunning 29-1 record vs. NBA Eastern Conference: By the numbers
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s conquest of the East is complete.
Twenty-nine wins. One loss. A .967 winning percentage.
Oklahoma City already had the best interconference record in NBA history before it demolished Detroit on Wednesday night, but now it’s a wrap. The Thunder’s reign of terror against the East is mercifully over.
This Thunder team (64-12) is on a record-setting binge, but among all the numbers that speak to its dominance, its total obliteration of the East might be the most fun bit of NBA trivia.
If the NBA standings mirrored a game of Risk, half of the board would be covered in Thunder blue pieces. Swaths of land from South Beach to Boston Harbor, Charlotte to Chicago, Milwaukee, to the Motor City, to Madison Square Garden. All are claimed territories of Greater Oklahoma City.
Only Cleveland was spared from the Thunder’s invasion. The Thunder and Cavs split their season series with both teams protecting their home court.
The West is once again better than the East this season. That’s been the norm throughout the century. Is there an explanation? Thunder general manager Sam Presti was asked last May if he had a theory.
“I don't know the answer to that,” Presti said. “But it's hard to dispute it.”
Even harder to dispute after the Thunder almost ran the table against the East.
Here are some numbers behind OKC’s 29-1 record against the East:
19.2 points: The Thunder’s average margin of victory in its 29 wins against the East. AV-ER-AGE. That doesn’t seem possible.
24: Of the Thunder’s 29 wins against the East, 24 of them were double-digit victories.
5: Which means only five of the games were decided by single-digits (math, right?). Here’s what’s crazy about those five games: four of them were six-point Thunder wins and one was a seven-point Thunder win. The Cavs — in their win against the Thunder — were the only East team to play the Thunder within five points. That’s just goofy.
386: On March 12, 2024, the Pacers beat the Thunder 121-111 in Oklahoma City. That was the Thunder’s last home loss to an East team. That was 386 days ago. Gordon Hayward started for the Thunder. Mike Muscala was still in the NBA.
27-3: The 1999-2000 Lakers, 2006-07 Mavericks and 2015-16 Warriors went 27-3 against the East. That was the previous record. The 1995-96 and 1996-97 Bulls went 25-3 against the West.
49.8%: The Thunder’s field goal percentage against the East. Compared to 47.1% against the West. The Thunder averaged three more points per game against East teams than it did against West teams.
42%: What East teams have shot against the Thunder. West teams have shot 44.5% against OKC.
1?: The Thunder actually lost two basketball games against Eastern Conference squads. Wait, you don’t remember the Bucks beating the Thunder in the NBA Cup Final? Neither does the NBA. That game didn’t count toward the NBA standings, so we won’t count it here.
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